Sustainable Building

Learn how to save time, money, and waste by building green

Latest Articles On Sustainable Building

In-depth advice and info on building in an eco-friendly way

recycled scrap wood to be used for decking

Where to find recycled materials for your projects

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start finding second-hand materials for recycled building projects. Nowadays there are a growing number of shops and picking yards springing up where you can browse through recyled lumber, finishings, and antiques.  These are a great place to start but you can

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How to build a living roof from recycled material

When building my latest cottage that I live in I was quoted $7,000 for the roof by a supplier (which is incidentally what it eventually cost me for the entire cottage – see my article on my $7,000 home). So I decided to do it myself. The idea was to

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The oak and vine earthship

Some like minded friends and fellow enthusiasts on earth ships have decided to build an earth ship on the farm. It will be dug into the slope of the land and face north with lots of windows for the winter sun, and be shaded by the poplar forest in summer.

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Building Hobbit Hollow

After nearly 7 months of hard work Hobbit Hollow is complete. Our original idea to construct a Hobbit inspired riverside cottage has become a reality! Although it came with some interesting engineering challenges and many hours of hard work. With the exception of concrete for the foundation and some lumber

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New location cleared for the next cottage: Willow Cottage

The ground has been cleared for the next cottage – Willow Cottage at the far end of the farm, close to where the two streams come together. the view from the stream looking up to where the cottage will be built. Alien trees have been uprooted (Port Jackson and black

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rivendell outdoor fire pit

The cottages are ready for summer!

Underhill Farmhouse and Rivendell cottage are now both ready for summer with each cottage now equipped with a private pool their own unique chill-out spot under the trees next to the river. Below are the benches around the old oak tree in the nook of Underhill Farmhouse overlooking the river.

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